Wireless networks are networks that use radio waves to carry information from one node in the network to one or more other nodes in the network. Wired communication can also be used in portions of a wireless network, such as between cells or access points. Wireless networks are used in connection with many applications, including, for example, satellite communications systems, portable digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, and mobile devices (including cellular telephones and user equipment). Users of such applications can connect to a network as long as the user is within range of such a wireless communication technology. The range of the wireless communication technology can vary depending on the deployment.
Cellular wireless networks are characterized by the use of base stations that provide radio coverage for a geographic area, with multiple base stations arranged to provide contiguous radio coverage over a larger area. Generally, when a mobile station is positioned within a coverage area of a base station, the mobile station can communicate in accordance with an air interface communication protocol with the base station. In turn, the base station can provide voice and data access to the mobile station via one or more circuit-switched, packet-switched signaling or transport networks.
The geographic coverage area of a base station is sometimes defined in terms of a geometric shape of a cell and base stations can often be referred to as “cells.” Generally, the coverage area associated with a given cell may be logically divided geographically into a number of sectors, with each sector being defined respectively by radiation patterns from directional antenna components or antennas of the respective base station. Base stations are typically not associated with any subscriber or small group of subscribers in particular. Rather, a service provider will attempt to location base stations in publicly-accessible locations for use by the service provider's customers generally.
Traditional base stations include macro cell transceivers that are typically configured to provide wireless communications for users having properly configured mobile devices over several kilometers. The wireless communications correspond to one or more wireless communication air interface standards, such as second, third or fourth generation air interface standards. To address gaps in a macro network coverage and for other reasons such as for relief from capacity constraints, macro network service providers have recently shown interest in lighter infrastructure referred to as small cells, which may also be referred to as pico cells, small base stations, small BTSs. and by other names. Typical small cell base stations can include transceivers that provide wireless communications for the properly configured mobile devices within several hundreds of meters of a particular small cell. Illustratively, the small cells are configured to operate in accordance with the same wireless communication air interface standards. The combination of macro and small cells by a service provider can be considered a heterogeneous network, in which the service provider may attempt traffic offloading from macro base stations to small cell base stations.
In addition to supporting mobile air interface standards utilized by the macro cell transceivers, such as second, third and fourth generation air interface standards and beyond, small cells can support additional radio communication protocols. Such additional radio communication protocols, such the IEEE 802.11 communication protocol, often referred to as (“Wi-Fi”). Wi-Fi standards may be unlicensed or implemented differently from the more traditional mobile air interface standards.